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A proposal for Kufer Bir’im, Israel 2002-2005 I took part in the production and model development for this project, which proposes the reconstruction of Bir’im, a Palestinian Christian village in northern Israel that was evacuated in 1948 and destroyed in 1953. The project was led by Hanna Farah Kufer Bir’im – a fellow-architect and a friend whose parents were amongst the evacuees (Hanna has added the name of the village to his surname). Aerial photos show how the private domains broke open and the village, once comprising of many individual spaces, had turned into a continuous, maze-like environment. This environment has been gradually taken over by vegetation growing on top, within and around it. The proposal aims to employ the unique qualities of site in its present condition. The proposal starts with transforming the ruins of the old village into a public centre that would benefit the community of the village and the inhabitants of the region. It continues with the development of a new village - a belt of housing, industry and agriculture surrounding the reconstructed old village. The paths of the old village will be extended into the new neighbourhoods. A detailed plan was made for a quarter of the old village. The proposed public buildings utilise the continuous, maze-like nature of the ruins – ceilings and walls are added only in certain places. A visual distinction between the old and the new aims to conserve to some degree the memory of the old village, offering commemoration which is not monumental, but rather a part of daily life.
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